(AP) – Attorney General Jack Conway has easily won the Democratic nomination for Kentucky governor.

Conway faced little opposition in Geoff Young, a former state engineer who did not raise money and was shunned by the state party. It was the first time in four decades that Kentucky Democrats have not fielded a competitive primary, allowing Conway to skip dozens of candidate forums and raise more than $2.3 million.

Conway will face a Republican nominee battered from a brutal primary campaign that will force him to spend much of his time replenishing nearly empty campaign coffers.

Democrats have won nine out of the last 10 elections for governor. But Republicans have made gains in voter registration and have had success by tying Kentucky Democrats to President Barack Obama, who remains deeply unpopular throughout the state.